Semiconductor chip

ABSTRACT

A semiconductor chip has a first transistor that amplifies a first signal and outputs a second signal, a second transistor that amplifies the second signal and outputs a third signal, and a semiconductor substrate having a main surface parallel to a plane defined by first and second directions and which has the first and second transistors formed thereon. The main surface has thereon a first bump connected to a collector or drain of the first transistor, a second bump connected to an emitter or source of the first transistor, a third bump connected to a collector or drain of the second transistor, and a fourth bump connected to an emitter or source of the second transistor. The first bump is circular, the second through fourth bumps are rectangular or oval, and the area of each of the second through fourth bumps is larger than that of the first bump.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application is a Continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.15/849,065 filed Dec. 20, 2017, which claims benefit of priority to U.S.Provisional Patent Application No. 62/451,163, filed Jan. 27, 2017, theentire content of which is incorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to a semiconductor chip.

Description of Related Art

As a method for mounting a semiconductor chip on a substrate, there is aflip chip technology using bumps. In general, the flip chip technologyis advantageous in that a mounting area can be reduced, as compared withwire bonding.

SUMMARY

A mobile communication device, such as, for example, a cellular phone,uses a power amplifier circuit. A transistor used to amplify power inthe power amplifier circuit has a temperature characteristic. Therefore,when the transistor generates heat due to its amplifying operation, anincrease in temperature may change the characteristics of thetransistor. Using the foregoing flip chip technology for such a poweramplifier circuit will pose a problem in that heat will not beadequately dissipated, affecting the characteristics of the transistor,although the mounting area will be reduced.

The present disclosure has been made in view of the circumstancesdescribed above, and it is an object of the disclosure to provide asemiconductor chip that can reduce the influences exerted by the heatgenerated by a transistor while providing a reduced mounting area.

A semiconductor chip according to one aspect of the present disclosureincludes: a first transistor that amplifies a first signal and outputs asecond signal; a second transistor that amplifies the second signal andoutputs a third signal; and a semiconductor substrate which has a mainsurface parallel to a plane defined by a first direction and a seconddirection intersecting with the first direction and which has the firsttransistor and the second transistor formed thereon. The main surface ofthe semiconductor substrate is provided with a first bump electricallyconnected to a collector or a drain of the first transistor, a secondbump electrically connected to an emitter or a source of the firsttransistor, a third bump electrically connected to a collector or adrain of the second transistor, and a fourth bump electrically connectedto an emitter or a source of the second transistor. In a planar view ofthe main surface of the semiconductor substrate, the first bump iscircular, the second, the third, and the fourth bumps are rectangular oroval, and the area of each of the second, the third, and the fourthbumps is larger than the area of the first bump.

According to the present disclosure, a semiconductor chip is providedthat can reduce a mounting area and also restrain the influences of theheat generated by a transistor.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a circuit diagram of a power amplifier circuit formed on asemiconductor chip according to a first embodiment of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 2 is a plan view illustrating the semiconductor chip according tothe first embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3 is a plan view illustrating a semiconductor chip according to asecond embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a plan view illustrating a semiconductor chip according to athird embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 5 is a plan view illustrating a semiconductor chip according to afourth embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a plan view illustrating a semiconductor chip according to afifth embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 is a plan view illustrating a semiconductor chip according to asixth embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 is a plan view illustrating a semiconductor chip according to aseventh embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 9 is a plan view illustrating a semiconductor chip according to aneighth embodiment of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 10 is a plan view illustrating a semiconductor chip according to aninth embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following will describe in detail the embodiments of the presentdisclosure with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings,the same or similar constituent elements will be assigned the same orsimilar reference numerals. The drawings are illustrative and showschematic dimensions and shapes of parts. The technological scope of thepresent disclosure should not be interpreted as limiting the scope ofthe embodiments.

Referring first to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, a semiconductor chip according toa first embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. FIG. 1is a circuit diagram of a power amplifier circuit formed on thesemiconductor chip according to the first embodiment of the presentdisclosure, and FIG. 2 is a plan view illustrating the semiconductorchip according to the first embodiment of the present disclosure.

A power amplifier circuit 10 illustrated in FIG. 1 includes, forexample, amplifiers 20 and 21. Each of the amplifiers 20 and 21amplifies a radio frequency (RF) signal. In the present embodiment, adescription will be given, assuming that the amplifiers 20 and 21 arecomposed of bipolar transistors, such as heterojunction bipolartransistors (HBTs). The amplifiers 20 and 21 may alternatively becomposed of other types of transistors, such asmetal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs). In thiscase, a base, a collector, and an emitter will be replaced by a gate, adrain, and a source.

The amplifier 20 in a first stage (driver stage) includes a transistorQ1 (a first transistor). The transistor Q1 amplifies an input signal RF1(a first signal) and outputs an amplified signal RF2 (a second signal).The amplifier 21 in a subsequent (power stage) includes a transistor Q2(a second transistor). The transistor Q2 further amplifies the amplifiedsignal RF2 and outputs an amplified signal RF3 (a third signal). Morespecifically, an input signal RF1 is supplied to the base of thetransistor Q1, and a supply voltage is supplied to the collectorthereof, and the emitter thereof is grounded. The transistor Q1amplifies the input signal RF1 and outputs the amplified signal RF2 fromthe collector thereof. The amplified signal RF2 is supplied to the baseof the transistor Q2, a supply voltage is supplied to the collectorthereof, and the emitter thereof is grounded. The transistor Q2 furtheramplifies the amplified signal RF2, and outputs the amplified signal RF3from the collector thereof. Although not illustrated, the poweramplifier circuit 10 may be further provided with other circuits, suchas a bias circuit and a matching circuit. Further, in the presentembodiment, the example in which the amplifier has two stages isillustrated. However, the number of stages of the amplifier is notlimited to two, and may alternatively be three or more. Further, FIG. 1illustrates the bipolar transistor. However, field-effect transistors(FETs) may be used in place of the bipolar transistors.

Referring now to FIG. 2, a description will be given of thesemiconductor chip on which the power amplifier circuit 10 is formed. Asemiconductor chip 100A illustrated in FIG. 2 includes, for example, asemiconductor substrate 110 and a plurality of bumps 120 to 122 gprovided on the main surface of the semiconductor substrate 110.

The semiconductor substrate 110 has, for example, a main surface 111,which is parallel to a plane defined by, for example, an X-axisdirection (a first direction) and a Y-axis direction (a seconddirection) that intersects with (or is orthogonal in FIG. 2 to) theX-axis direction. There is no particular restriction on the material ofthe semiconductor substrate 110. However, the main component is, forexample, a compound semiconductor. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the mainsurface 111 of the semiconductor substrate 110. The main surface 111 hassides S1 (a first side) and S2 (a second side) parallel to the X-axis,and sides S3 and S4 parallel to the Y-axis. Although not illustrated inFIG. 2, for example, the transistor Q1 constituting the amplifier 20 inthe first stage and the transistor Q2 constituting the amplifier 21 inthe subsequent stage illustrated in FIG. 1 are formed on thesemiconductor substrate 110. Each of the transistors Q1 and Q2 isconfigured by, for example, a plurality of fingers arranged in alignmentin an XY plane direction.

The semiconductor chip 100A is mounted on a module board (notillustrated) by the flip chip technology using bumps. Thus, theamplifiers 20 and 21 formed on the semiconductor chip 100A and the pathsformed on the module board are electrically connected.

The module board on which the semiconductor chip 100A is mounted may bea board composed of, for example, a printed circuit board (PCB) or a lowtemperature co-fired ceramics (LTCC). In addition to the semiconductorchip 100A, other circuits, such as an output matching circuit of thepower amplifier circuit, a duplexer which separates transmitted signalsand received signals, and a switch circuit, are mounted on the moduleboard. As the duplexer, a surface acoustic wave (SAW) filter circuit oran incredible high performance SAW (IHP-SAW) filter circuit, forexample, may be used.

Bumps 120, 121, 122 a, 122 b, and 123 a to 123 d illustrated in FIG. 2are bumps that electrically connect the collectors and the emitters ofthe transistors Q1 and Q2 with elements outside the semiconductor chip100A. Further, the bumps 124 a to 122 g are bumps which function as theterminals for supplying, although not particularly limited to, forexample, a supply voltage, an input signal, a ground potential, or acontrol signal, from outside the semiconductor chip 100A. Although thereis no particular restriction on the bumps 120 to 124 g, the bumps maybe, for example, Cu pillar bumps or solder bumps. The following willspecifically describe the bumps 120 to 123 d.

The bump 120 (a first bump) is a bump to which the collector of eachfinger constituting the transistor Q1 in the first stage is electricallyconnected. The bump 120 is, for example, circular in the planar view ofthe main surface 111.

The bump 121 (a second bump) is a bump to which the emitter of eachfinger constituting the transistor Q1 in the first stage is electricallyconnected. The bump 121 is shaped like, for example, a rectangle thathas a short side direction parallel to the X-axis and a long sidedirection parallel to the Y-axis in the planar view of the main surface111. Further, in the planar view of the main surface 111, the area ofthe bump 121 is larger than the area of the bump 120. The number ofbumps connected to the collector and the emitter of the transistor Q1 isone each in FIG. 2. However, the number of bumps may be plural ratherthan being limited to one.

The bumps 122 a (a first part of a third bump) and 122 b (a second partof the third bump) are the bumps to which the collector of each fingerconstituting the transistor Q2 in the subsequent stage are electricallyconnected. The bumps 122 a and 122 b are separately formed and placedsubstantially symmetrically with respect to a centerline CL in theX-axis direction of the semiconductor substrate 110. Each of the bumps122 a and 122 b is shaped like, for example, a rectangle that has a longside direction parallel to the X-axis and a short side directionparallel to the Y-axis in the planar view of the main surface 111.Further, the bumps 122 a and 122 b are placed such that the long sidedirections thereof are substantially parallel to the X-axis in thevicinity of a side S1. Thus, placing the bumps 122 a and 122 b in thevicinity of the outer frame of the semiconductor substrate 110 shortensthe path for outputting the amplified signal RF3, which is output fromthe transistor Q2, to the outside of the semiconductor chip. Further, inthe planar view of the main surface 111, the area of each of the bumps122 a and 122 b is larger than the area of the bump 120. The number ofthe bumps connected to the collector of the transistor Q2 is two in FIG.2. However, the number of the bumps may be one, or three or more ratherthan being limited particularly to two.

The bumps 123 a to 123 d (fourth bumps) are the bumps to which theemitter of each finger constituting the transistor Q2 in the subsequentstage is electrically connected. In other words, the plurality offingers constituting the transistor Q2 are arranged in alignment in theXY plane direction in the area in which the bumps 123 a to 123 d aredisposed. The bumps 123 a to 123 d are separately formed in an areabetween the bump 120 and the bumps 122 a, 122 b, the four bumps beingarranged in the X-axis direction so as to be substantially symmetricalwith respect to the centerline CL in the X-axis direction of thesemiconductor substrate 110. The bumps 123 a to 123 d are shaped like,for example, a rectangle that has a short side direction parallel to theX-axis and a long side direction parallel to the Y-axis in the planarview of the main surface 111. This means that the long side directionsof the bumps 122 a and 122 b and the long side directions of the bumps123 a to 123 d are orthogonal to each other. Further, in the planar viewof the main surface 111, the area of each of the bumps 123 a to 123 d islarger than the area of the bump 120. The number of the bumps connectedto the emitter of the transistor Q2 is four in FIG. 2. However, thenumber of the bumps may be one to three, or five or more rather thanbeing limited particularly to four.

The shapes of the bumps 124 a to 122 g are not particularly restricted.However, in the present embodiment, the shapes thereof are circular inthe planar view of the main surface 111. The bumps 124 a to 124 e (fifthbumps) are disposed in the vicinity of a side S2, which is a sideopposing the side S1 of the outer frame of the semiconductor substrate110, and along the side S2. The bump 124 f is disposed in the vicinityof a side S4. The bump 122 g is disposed at a position that issubstantially symmetrical to the bump 120 with respect to the centerlineCL.

A description will now be given of a reason why the bumps 121 to 123 dare rectangular. The transistors Q1 and Q2 formed on the semiconductorchip 100A generate heat while in operation, thus causing thetemperatures of the elements to increase. Transistors generally havetemperature characteristics, so that an increase in temperature maycause the characteristics of an amplifying operation to change. As thearea of a bump in the planar view of the main surface 111 increases, thearea of adhesion to the module board increases, so that the amount ofheat radiated through the bump increases. However, as the bump areaincreases, the chip area increases accordingly.

In this respect, according to the semiconductor chip 100A, the bumps121, 122 a, 122 b, and 123 a to 123 d, which are connected to theemitter of the transistor in the first stage generating a relativelygreat amount of heat, and to the collector and the emitter of thetransistor Q2 in the subsequent stage generating a greater amount ofheat have rectangular shapes, and the bump 120 connected to thecollector of the transistor Q1 in the first stage has the circularshape. Thus, the area of each of the bumps 121, 122 a, 122 b, and 123 ato 123 d is larger than the area of the bump 120, resulting in a greatamount of heat radiated through the bumps. Hence, the semiconductor chip100A can restrain the influence of the heat generated by transistorswhile achieving a reduced mounting area, as compared with aconfiguration that does not use the flip chip technology.

In the present embodiment, the bump 120 to which the collector of thetransistor Q1 is connected is circular. However, the bump 120 may berectangular rather than being circular. Further, the bumps 121, 122 a,122 b, and 123 a to 123 d may be oval rather than being rectangular.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of a semiconductor chip according to a secondembodiment of the present disclosure. A semiconductor chip 100Billustrated in FIG. 3 differs from the semiconductor chip 100Aillustrated in FIG. 2 in the shapes of bumps connected to the collectorof a transistor Q2. More specifically, the semiconductor chip 100Bincludes bumps 222 a and 222 b in place of the bumps 122 a and 122 b.

As with the bumps 122 a and 122 b, the bumps 222 a (a first part of athird bump) and 222 b (a second part of the third bump) are connected tothe collector of the transistor Q2, and outputs an amplified signal RF3,which is output from the transistor Q2, to an element outside thesemiconductor chip 100B. Further, each of the bumps 222 a and 222 b isdisposed such that the long side direction in the vicinity of a side S1is substantially parallel to an X-axis. A length L2 of the long sidedirection (the X-axis direction in FIG. 3) of each of the bumps 222 aand 222 b is greater than a length L1 of the long side direction (aY-axis direction in FIG. 3) of each of bumps 123 a to 123 d, to whichthe emitter of the transistor Q2 is connected. Thus, the semiconductorchip 100B provides further improved effect of heat dissipation, ascompared with the semiconductor chip 100A.

FIG. 4 is a plan view of a semiconductor chip according to a thirdembodiment of the present disclosure. A semiconductor chip 100Cillustrated in FIG. 4 differs from the semiconductor chip 100Aillustrated in FIG. 2 in the shapes of bumps connected to the collectorof a transistor Q2. More specifically, the semiconductor chip 100Cincludes bumps 322 a and 322 b in place of the bumps 122 a and 122 b.

As with the bumps 122 a and 122 b, the bumps 322 a (a first part of athird bump) and 322 b (a second part of the third bump) are connected tothe collector of the transistor Q2, and outputs an amplified signal RF3,which is output from the transistor Q2, to an element outside thesemiconductor chip 100C. Further, each of the bumps 322 a and 322 b isdisposed such that the long side direction in the vicinity of a side S1is substantially parallel to an X-axis. A length L3 of the long sidedirection (the X-axis direction in FIG. 3) of each of the bumps 322 aand 322 b is smaller than a length L1 of the long side direction (theY-axis direction in FIG. 3) of each of bumps 123 a to 123 d, to whichthe emitter of the transistor Q2 is connected.

In other words, for heat dissipation, the areas of the bumps connectedto the collector are desirably larger, as with the semiconductor chip100B described above. However, bumps having larger areas usually tend tohave greater bump thicknesses (i.e. a greater height in the normaldirection of a main surface 111). Hence, if the area of a bump formed inthe vicinity of the side S1 were excessively large, then the thicknessof the bump might become greater than the thickness of each of bumps 124a to 124 e formed in the vicinity of a side S2, which is a side opposingthe side S1. In this case, the uneven thicknesses of the bumps tend tocause, for example, the bumps 124 a to 124 e having smaller areas tocome off a module board, frequently leading to poor connection or thelike.

In this respect, the semiconductor chip 100C prevents the areas of thebumps 322 a and 322 b from becoming excessively larger than the areas ofthe bumps 124 a to 124 e. Thus, poor contact will be reduced, resultingin improved mountability of the semiconductor chip 100C at the time ofmounting.

FIG. 4 illustrates an example in which the number of bumps 322 a and 322b, is two. However, the number of the bumps may be three or more. As thenumber of the bumps increases, the area of each bump can be reduced,thus making it easier to prevent the unevenness in height relative tothe bumps 124 a to 124 e formed in the vicinity of an opposing side.

FIG. 5 is a plan view of a semiconductor chip according to a fourthembodiment of the present disclosure. A semiconductor chip 100Dillustrated in FIG. 5 includes an additional bump 400, as compared withthe semiconductor chip 100C illustrated in FIG. 4.

The bump 400 (a sixth bump) is electrically connected to a part of aharmonic termination circuit F1, which is a specific example of a filtercircuit which attenuates a harmonic (e.g. a second harmonic, a thirdharmonic, or a fourth harmonic) of an amplified signal RF3 output fromthe collector of a transistor Q2. More specifically, if, for example,the harmonic termination circuit F1 is composed of a capacitor C1 and aninductor L1 connected in series, then the bump 400 may be a terminalthat connects a capacitor C1 formed on a semiconductor substrate 110 andan inductor L1 formed on a module board. As illustrated in FIG. 5, thebump 400 is provided on a main surface 111 of the semiconductorsubstrate 110 and is circular in the planar view of the main surface111. Further, the bump 400 is disposed, for example, between a bump 322a (a first part of a third bump) and a bump 322 b (a second part of thethird bump) in the vicinity of a side S1 and a centerline CL. Thus,placing the bump 400 in the vicinity of the center in the X-axisdirection sets uniform lengths of the paths from a plurality of fingersconstituting the transistor Q2 to the harmonic termination circuit F1.This restrains a change in the characteristics of the harmonictermination circuit F1 caused by uneven lengths of the paths.

In the present embodiment, the bump 400 is circular. However, the bump400 may alternatively be rectangular or oval rather than being circular.

FIG. 6 is a plan view of a semiconductor chip according to a fifthembodiment of the present disclosure. A semiconductor chip 100Eillustrated in FIG. 6 differs from the semiconductor chip 100Dillustrated in FIG. 5 in that the semiconductor chip 100E includes bumps410 a and 410 b in place of the bump 400.

The bumps 410 a (a first part of a sixth bump) and 410 b (a second partof the sixth bump) are separately formed, and electrically connected toa part of a harmonic termination circuit F2 a and F2 b that attenuatesthe harmonic of an amplified signal RF3 output from the collector of atransistor Q2, as with the bump 400. In other words, it is assumed thatthe semiconductor chip 100E is configured to have two harmonictermination circuits. As illustrated in FIG. 6, the bumps 410 a and 410b are provided on a main surface 111 of a semiconductor substrate 110and are circular in the planar view of the main surface 111. Further,the bumps 410 a and 410 b are disposed, for example, substantiallysymmetrically with respect to a centerline CL in the vicinity of a sideS1. Thus, placing the two bumps, 410 a and 410 b, substantiallysymmetrically with respect to the centerline CL shortens the length ofthe path from each finger to each harmonic termination circuit withresultant further uniform length of path, as compared with thesemiconductor chip 100D.

In the present embodiment, the bumps 410 a and 410 b are circular.However, the bumps 410 a and 410 b may alternatively be rectangular oroval rather than being circular.

Further, in the present embodiment, bumps 322 a and 322 b are disposedbetween the bumps 410 a and 410 b. Alternatively, however, the bumps 410a and 410 b may be disposed between the bumps 322 a and 322 b. Further,both the two harmonic termination circuits in the present embodiment maybe designed to terminate harmonics of the same frequency (e.g. a secondharmonic), or to terminate harmonics of different frequencies (e.g. thesecond harmonic and a third harmonic).

FIG. 7 is a plan view of a semiconductor chip according to a sixthembodiment of the present disclosure. A semiconductor chip 100Fillustrated in FIG. 7 differs from the semiconductor chip 100Eillustrated in FIG. 6 in the shapes of bumps connected to a part of aharmonic termination circuit. More specifically, the semiconductor chip100F includes bumps 420 a and 420 b in place of bumps 410 a and 410 b.

The bumps 420 a (a first part of a sixth bump) and 420 b (a second partof the sixth bump) are separately formed, and electrically connected toa part of a harmonic termination circuit that attenuates the harmonic ofan amplified signal RF3 output from the collector of a transistor Q2, aswith the bumps 410 a and 410 b. As with the bumps 322 a and 322 b, eachof the bumps 420 a and 420 b is shaped like a rectangle that has a longside direction parallel to the X-axis and a short side directionparallel to the Y-axis in the planar view of the main surface 111. Thus,configuring the bumps 420 a and 420 b to have the same shapes as thoseof the bumps 322 a and 322 b makes it easy to match the thicknesses ofthe bumps 420 a and 420 b with the thicknesses of the bumps 322 a and322 b. Hence, the semiconductor chip 100F exhibits improved mountabilityover the semiconductor chip 100E when mounting the semiconductor chip.

FIG. 8 is a plan view of a semiconductor chip according to a seventhembodiment of the present disclosure. A semiconductor chip 500Aillustrated in FIG. 8 has two sets of the power amplifier circuit 10illustrated in FIG. 1. Regarding the semiconductor chip 500A, adescription will be given of only the bumps connected to the terminalsof transistors corresponding to the transistors Q1 and Q2 included inthe power amplifier circuit 10, and no description will be given ofother bumps (corresponding to the bumps 124 a to 122 g in FIG. 2).

The semiconductor chip 500A has two regions 520 x and 520 y, which aresymmetrical with respect to a centerline CL in the X-axis direction, ona semiconductor substrate 510. One region, namely, the region 520 x, hasbumps 120 x, 121 x, 122 x, and 123 ax to 123 dx. Similarly, the region520 y has bumps 120 y, 121 y, 122 y, and 123 ay to 123 dy. The bumpsprovided in these two regions, 520 x and 520 y, correspond to the bumps120, 121, 122 a, 122 b, and 123 a to 123 d illustrated in FIG. 2, sothat no detailed description will be given.

In the semiconductor chip 500A, a power amplifier circuit is formed ineach of the two regions, 520 x and 520 y. Providing the semiconductorchip 500A with two power amplifier circuits makes it possible toselectively use the amplifier circuits according to, for example, thefrequency band (e.g. a high band, a middle band or a low band) of aninput signal RF1. Alternatively, the amplifier circuits may beselectively used according to the communication standard (e.g. a secondgeneration mobile communication system (2G), a third generation mobilecommunication system (3G), or a fourth generation mobile communicationsystem (4G)) of the input signal RF1. The power amplifier circuits maybe configured such that, if the power amplifier circuit formed in one ofthe regions 520 x and 520 y is operated, then the operation of the poweramplifier circuit formed in the other region is stopped.

In the semiconductor chip 500A having the foregoing configuration also,the areas of the bumps 121 x, 121 y, 122 x, 122 y, 123 ax to 123 dx, and123 ay to 123 dy connected to the emitter of a transistor in a firststage, the collector of a transistor in a subsequent stage, and theemitter of the transistor in the subsequent stage, which have relativelylarge amounts of heat generation, are larger than the areas of the bumps120 x and 120 y connected to the collector of the transistor in thefirst stage. Thus, as with the semiconductor chip 100A, the mountingarea can be reduced and the influence of the heat generation of thetransistors can be restrained. The number of the bumps connected to thecollector of the transistor in the subsequent stage may be one per poweramplifier circuit, as illustrated in FIG. 8, or may be more than one, asillustrated in FIG. 2.

FIG. 9 is a plan view of a semiconductor chip according to an eighthembodiment of the present disclosure. A semiconductor chip 500Billustrated in FIG. 9 differs from the semiconductor chip 500Aillustrated in FIG. 8 in that the semiconductor chip 500B has additionalbumps, 600 x and 600 y.

The bumps 600 x and 600 y are provided in regions 520 x and 520 y,respectively, of a semiconductor substrate 510. As with the bump 400illustrated in FIG. 5, the bumps 600 x and 600 y are electricallyconnected with a part of a harmonic termination circuit which attenuatesthe harmonic of an amplified signal RF3 output from the collector of atransistor in a subsequent stage.

The foregoing configuration enables the semiconductor chip 500B toprovide the same advantages as those of the semiconductor chip 500A. Thenumber of the harmonic termination circuits included in the poweramplifier circuit may be one per power amplifier circuit, as illustratedin FIG. 9, or may be more than one, as illustrated in FIG. 6. Further,in the present embodiment, the bumps 600 x and 600 y are circular.However, the bumps 600 x and 600 y may be rectangular or oval ratherthan being circular.

FIG. 10 is a plan view of a semiconductor chip according to a ninthembodiment of the present disclosure. A semiconductor chip 500Cillustrated in FIG. 10 differs from the semiconductor chip 500Aillustrated in FIG. 8 in that the semiconductor chip 500C includesfurther additional bumps, 610 x, 620 x, 610 y and 620 y.

The bumps 610 x and 620 x are provided in a region 520 x of asemiconductor substrate 510. The bumps 610 y and 620 y are provided in aregion 520 y of the semiconductor substrate 510. As with the bump 400illustrated in FIG. 5, all the bumps 610 x, 620 x, 610 y, and 620 y areelectrically connected to a part of a harmonic termination circuit thatattenuates the harmonic of an amplified signal RF3 output from thecollector of a transistor in a subsequent stage. In other words, as withthe semiconductor chip 100E, it is assumed that the semiconductor chip500C is configured to have two harmonic termination circuits per poweramplifier circuit.

The foregoing configuration enables the semiconductor chip 500C toprovide the same advantages as those of the semiconductor chip 500A.Further, as illustrated in FIG. 10, the bumps connected to the harmonictermination circuit may have a combination of various shapes, such as acircular shape, a rectangular shape and an oval shape.

The above has described illustrative embodiments of the presentdisclosure. In the semiconductor chips 100A to 100F and 500A to 500C,the bump 120 connected to the collector or the drain of the transistorQ1 of the first stage, the bump 121 connected to the emitter or thesource of the transistor Q1 in the first stage, the bumps 122 a and 122b (222 a, 222 b, 322 a, 322 b, 122 x, and 122 y) connected to thecollector or the drain of the transistor Q2 in the subsequent stage, andthe bumps 123 a to 123 d (123 ax to 123 dx and 123 ay to 123 dy)connected to the emitter or the source of the transistor Q2 in thesubsequent stage are provided on the main surfaces of the semiconductorsubstrate 110 and 510. In the planar view of the main surfaces of thesemiconductor substrates 110 and 510, the bump 120 is circular, and thebumps 121, 122 a, 122 b, and 123 a to 123 d are rectangular or oval. Theareas of all the bumps 121, 122 a, 122 b, and 123 a to 123 d are largerthan the area of the bump 120. Thus, the amount of heat dissipatedthrough the bumps 121, 122 a, 122 b, and 123 a to 123 d is greater thanthe amount of heat dissipated through the bump 120. Accordingly, thesemiconductor chips 100A to 100F and 500A to 500C are capable ofachieving a reduced mounting area and restraining the influence of heatgenerated by transistors, as compared with configurations that do notuse the flip chip technology.

Further, in the semiconductor chips 100A to 100F and 500A to 500C, thebumps 122 a and 122 b (222 a, 222 b, 322 a, 322 b, 122 x, and 122 y) aredisposed in the vicinity of the side S1, which is one of the sides ofthe semiconductor substrate 110 or 510, such that the long sidedirections thereof are substantially parallel to the side S1. Thisarrangement shortens the path for outputting the amplified signal RF3,which is output from the transistor Q2, to the outside of thesemiconductor chip, thus reducing a loss.

Also, in the semiconductor chips 100C to 100F, the bumps 124 a to 124 eare provided in the vicinity of the side S2, which is the side opposingthe side S1, the areas of the bumps 322 a and 322 b are larger than theareas of the bumps 124 a to 124 e, and the lengths in the long sidedirection of the bumps 322 a and 322 b are smaller than the lengths inthe long side direction of the bumps 123 a to 123 d. This prevents theareas of the bumps 322 a and 322 b from becoming excessively large incomparison with the areas of the bumps 124 a to 124 e. Thus, poorcontact is prevented, and the mountability of the semiconductor chips atthe time of mounting is improved.

In addition, in the semiconductor chip 100D, the bump 400 connected to apart of the harmonic termination circuit is further provided. The bumps322 a and 322 b are disposed in the vicinity of the side S1 andsubstantially symmetrical with respect to the centerline CL in theX-axis direction, and the bump 400 is disposed between the bumps 322 aand 322 b in the vicinity of the side S1 and also in the vicinity of thecenterline CL. Thus, the lengths of the paths from the plurality offingers constituting the transistor Q2 to the harmonic terminationcircuit are made uniform. Hence, a change in the characteristics of theharmonic termination circuit caused by variations in length of the pathsis restrained.

Further, in the semiconductor chips 100E and 100F, the bumps 410 a and410 b (420 a and 420 b) connected to a part of the harmonic terminationcircuit are further provided. The bumps 410 a and 410 b (420 a and 420b) are disposed substantially symmetrically with respect to thecenterline CL in the X-axis direction in the vicinity of the side S1,and the bumps 322 a and 322 b are disposed between the bumps 410 a and410 b (420 a and 420 b). Thus, according to the semiconductor chips 100Eand 100F, the lengths of the paths from the individual fingers to theindividual harmonic termination circuits are shortened, and the lengthsare made further uniform, as compared with the semiconductor chip 100D.Also, in the semiconductor chips 100A to 100F and 500A to 500C, the longside directions of, for example, the bumps 122 a and 122 b (222 a, 222b, 322 a, 322 b, 122 x, and 122 y) and the long side directions of thebumps 123 a to 123 d (123 ax to 123 dx and 123 ay to 123 dy) may beorthogonal to each other.

The embodiments described above are intended for easy understanding ofthe present disclosure, and are not to be considered as limiting. Thepresent disclosure can be modified or improved without departing fromthe spirit thereof, and the present disclosure covers equivalentsthereof. More specifically, anything obtained by adding designalterations, as necessary, to the embodiments by persons skilled in theart will be encompassed by the scope of the present disclosure insofaras the features of the present disclosure are included. For example, theelements used in the embodiments and the placement, the materials, theconditions, the shapes, the sizes, and the like of the elements are notlimited to those illustrated and may be changed, as appropriate.Further, the elements used in the embodiments can be combined insofar asthe combinations are technically feasible. These combinations are to becovered by the scope of the present disclosure insofar as the featuresof the present disclosure are included.

What is claimed is:
 1. A semiconductor chip comprising: a firsttransistor which amplifies a first signal and outputs a second signal; asecond transistor which amplifies the second signal and outputs a thirdsignal; and a semiconductor substrate which has a main surface parallelto a plane defined by a first direction and a second directionintersecting with the first direction and which has the first transistorand the second transistor formed thereon, the main surface of thesemiconductor substrate that has a first side and a second side, whichare parallel to the first direction, and a third side and a fourth side,which are parallel to the second direction, a centerline of the chipbeing provided at a point that is a midpoint between the third side andthe fourth side and the centerline intersecting each of the first sideand the second side, the main surface of the semiconductor substratebeing provided with: a first bump electrically connected to a collectoror a drain of the first transistor; a second bump electrically connectedto an emitter or a source of the first transistor; a third bumpelectrically connected to a collector or a drain of the secondtransistor; a fourth bump electrically connected to an emitter or asource of the second transistor; and a sixth bump provided on the mainsurface of the semiconductor substrate, wherein in a planar view of themain surface of the semiconductor substrate, an area of each of thesecond and the fourth bumps is larger than an area of the first bump,the third bump is disposed closer to the first side than to the secondside, such that a long side direction of the third bump is substantiallyparallel to the first direction, and the sixth bump is disposed closerto the first side than the second side.
 2. The semiconductor chipaccording to claim 1, wherein: a fifth bump is provided on the mainsurface of the semiconductor substrate closer to the second side than tothe first side; and in the planar view of the main surface of thesemiconductor substrate, the area of the third bump is larger than anarea of the fifth bump; and a length of the third bump in the long sidedirection is smaller than a length of the fourth bump in the long sidedirection.
 3. The semiconductor chip according to claim 1, wherein: thethird bump includes a first part and a second part which are separatelyformed; and in the planar view of the main surface of the semiconductorsubstrate, the first part and the second part of the third bump aredisposed closer to the first side than to the second side andsubstantially symmetrically with respect to the centerline; and thesixth bump is disposed between the first part and the second part of thethird bump, and closer to the centerline than to the third side or thefourth side.
 4. The semiconductor chip according to claim 1, wherein:the sixth bump includes a first part and a second part, which areseparately formed; and in the planar view of the main surface of thesemiconductor substrate, the first part and the second part of the sixthbump are disposed closer to the first side than to the second side andsubstantially symmetrically with respect to the centerline; and thethird bump is disposed between the first part and the second part of thesixth bump.
 5. The semiconductor chip according to claim 2, wherein: thethird bump includes a first part and a second part which are separatelyformed; and in the planar view of the main surface of the semiconductorsubstrate, the first part and the second part of the third bump aredisposed closer to the first side than to the second side andsubstantially symmetrically with respect to the centerline; and thesixth bump is disposed between the first part and the second part of thethird bump, and closer to the centerline than to the third side or thefourth side.
 6. The semiconductor chip according to claim 2, wherein:the sixth bump includes a first part and a second part, which areseparately formed; and in the planar view of the main surface of thesemiconductor substrate, the first part and the second part of the sixthbump are disposed closer to the first side than to the second side andsubstantially symmetrically with respect to the centerline; and thethird bump is disposed between the first part and the second part of thesixth bump.
 7. The semiconductor chip according to claim 1, wherein along side direction of the third bump and a long side direction of thefourth bump are orthogonal to each other in the planar view of the mainsurface of the semiconductor substrate.
 8. The semiconductor chipaccording to claim 2, wherein a long side direction of the third bumpand a long side direction of the fourth bump are orthogonal to eachother in the planar view of the main surface of the semiconductorsubstrate.
 9. The semiconductor chip according to claim 3, wherein along side direction of the third bump and a long side direction of thefourth bump are orthogonal to each other in the planar view of the mainsurface of the semiconductor substrate.
 10. The semiconductor chipaccording to claim 4, wherein a long side direction of the third bumpand a long side direction of the fourth bump are orthogonal to eachother in the planar view of the main surface of the semiconductorsubstrate.
 11. The semiconductor chip according to claim 1, wherein thesixth bump includes a plurality of parts which are separately formed.12. The semiconductor chip according to claim 1, wherein the third bumpincludes a plurality of parts which are separately formed.
 13. Thesemiconductor chip according to claim 1, wherein the fourth bumpincludes a plurality of parts which are separately formed.
 14. Thesemiconductor chip according to claim 1, wherein a fifth bump isprovided on the main surface of the semiconductor substrate.